Princess In The Palace

33. The (Un)Fortunate Pregnancy

Chapter 33.

Recap: Yi Ran persuaded First Princess to arrange a secret meeting between her and Astronomer Wei for, saying it was for the sake of her cat. Astronomer Wei managed to guess that she was the late Crown Princess' daughter and advised her to be careful in the palace, given her actual identity. He also said that they could only communicate through Bian Li from then on as it was improper for then to meet. Meanwhile, someone overheard their conversation and decided to investigate into what they were talking about.

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There were four seasons in a year; spring, summer, autumn and winter. Autumn was the season where all the leaves browned, seemingly leaving an atmosphere of eternal melancholy as the golden pieces of nature fluttered about in the presence of gentle cool breeze before they ascended to the earth, to the cold hard earth. The seasons had changed cyclically but the palace had not. It was still the same as before, the supposedly golden cage that had been covered in thick layers of black old blood then poured all over again with fresh red liquid that oozed the rustic smell of sins and schemes.

When the young woman sucked in the air deeply into her lungs, she could feel the cool air entering her body, the tingling sensation was refreshing and an effective method to fully wake herself up. Her fingers twirled around the lower half of her thick black hair that was let flowing down to the floor, while the other half was pulled up into a simple bun and fastened with a silver hairpin. She was sitting before the low wooden table in the middle of the front quarters, playing with strands of her hair as she waited for Bian Li to return with her breakfast.

As the wooden doors slowly creaked open, breaking the silence of her quarters, the noises made of murmurs of the servants outside immediately rushed into both her ears and she lifted her head up, managing to catch a sight or two before Bian Li closed the doors behind her and took small little quick steps to her side.

"Where did you go for so long? Is the kitchen not ready yet?"

"Your Highness, something happened."

"What is it?"

"Concubine Tian had a miscarriage."

"Concubine Tian...I remember she was already around seven months pregnant. How could it happen?"

"No one knows yet, but from what Your Servant can see, it is just another day in the palace."

"What do you mean?"

She would understand, soon, the deep muddled waters she had been fatefully dragged into the moment she passed through the gates of the palace in her joyous red horse carriage.

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"Your Majesty...Concubine Tian...she..." Eunuch Wan lowered his upper torso, bowing as he secretly took glances at his master who seemed to be in deep thoughts.

"Ask the Imperial Physicians to properly nurse her back to health," Emperor said, flicking the white chess piece he held between his index and middle finger. Instead of placing the pebble-like stone on the board, he scanned his eyes through the shiny surface of the polished chess piece.

"How many is it now? Ten? Eleven? Or Twelve?"

"E-eleven unborn, three princes and one princess, Your Majesty." His children who died amidst the battle in the palace, or the battlefield that overflowed with luxury to shield the schemers from the dangers of revelation. He had come to the consensus that it was useless for him to grieve endlessly for his children who would depart this world earlier than him.